Conventional bar codes have varying width bars and spaces suitably printed on a label. The bar code may take any conventional form in one or more dimensions, and includes, for example, the typical one-dimensional UPC form. The UPC symbology is based on a specification enacted by the Uniform Product Code Council, Inc. of Dayton Ohio. The typical UPC bar code includes a series or sequence of alternating dark bars and light spaces of varying widths. The bars and spaces are arranged in groups representing individual characters. The bar code starts with a left margin character and ends with a right margin character, and has a center reference character as well, with the characters provided there between representing any desired data.
The minimum width of either a bar or space in the UPC symbology is defined as a single module, which represents a unit width. The width of a single character coded using the UPC symbology is seven (7) modules. A seven module UPC character has two bar and two space elements which have varying widths to differentiate between the respective characters.
There are many types of bar code symbologies (encoding schemes). For example, there are a number of different one-dimensional bar code symbologies. These symbologies include UPC/EAN, Code 39, Code 128, Codabar and Interleaved 2 of 5. There are also 2 dimensional bar code symbologies.
Generally, bar code scanners are programmed to read only the bar code types that are currently being used in the system. This is done to increase decoding accuracy and allow the bar code scanner the maximum processing power to decode the bar codes that do exist in the system.
Occasionally, a new type of bar code is introduced into the system, such as, Interleaved 2 of 5, or some other bar code symbology. The scanner operator or scanner service personnel may not have the capability to discern the bar code symbology and other, significant details of the new bar code. Therefore, the operator or service personnel lack the ability to program the scanner to read this new bar code type. Accordingly, this can result in delays at checkouts as a more experienced operator or engineer may be required to program the scanner, before the new bar code in question can be read.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bar code scanner, which can be utilized by an untrained operator to scan regularly used bar codes and those which are new or are infrequently used by a system.
It is a further object of the present invention to enable the introduction of new types of bar code into a bar code system when the operator does not know the details of the bar code, such as the bar code symbology or type, or bar code length, etc.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to produce a bar code scanner, which obviates the problems discussed above.